Field Report
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program - Climate Monitoring Coral Reef Conservation Program & Ocean Acidification Program Field report from Dry Tortugas Research Cruise -
Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
Nicole Besemer
Ana Palacio
Ian Enochs
July 2021
Summary
Work under the National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) was completed in the Dry Tortugas National Park over the course of five days from June 25th through June 29th, 2021. Work was conducting aboard the R/V ANGARI (ANGARI Foundation) and conducted utilizing permits DRTO-2020-SCI-0010 and DRTO-2020-SCI-0011. During these operations, the following deliverables were successfully met:
Recovery and redeployment (replacement) of all four Subsurface Temperature Recorders (STRs) at the one, five, 15, and 25 meter depths
Recovery and redeployment (replacement) of all five Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) and all five Bioerosion Monitoring Units (BMUs), an additional 5 BMUs were installed
Collection of 72-hours of Class II discrete water samples via Subsurface Automatic Samplers (SAS) at three hour intervals (total of 22 samples taken – two samples unsuccessfully deployed)
Completion of benthic, bioeroder, and parrotfish surveys (Perry Surveys) at all six transect sites
Completion of photomosaics at all six survey transect sites
Deployment of SeaFET pH logger, Tiltmeter and EcoPAR coinciding with all 72 hours of Class II water sampling data.
Map of Study locations in Dry Tortugas National Park
Personnel: Nicole Besemer (Chief Scientist), Graham Kolodziej, Nathan Formel, Anderson Mayfield and Patrick Kiel.
Total working dives logged: 63
Data collected
Temperature Data
Summary plots from all 4 Subsurface Temperature Recorders (STRs) collected at our study site locations. The 1m, 5m, and 15m collected data for the full deployment. The 25m STR stopped collecting on Febuary 7th 2020. Though data hasnt been fully analyzed, preliminary findings show normal seasonal variations with some peaks likely associated with X
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Figure 1: Temperature data is collected for 3 years at four different sites in the Dry Tortugas at 1 m (Pulaski Shoal Lighthouse), 5m (white-shoal15m), 15m (Bird Key Reef) and 25 m (Black Coral Rock)
Diurnal Suite Deployment
Four instruments are used in out diurnal deployment to collect 72 hours of data to detect diurnal fluctuations in water quality conditions. SeaBird SeaFETs are used to collect pH data, Lowell Tiltmeters collect data on current, EcoPar’s collect light data and Submerged automated samplers (SAS) collect water samples to validate the instruments and collect additional water quality parameters. These instruments were deployed at our Bird Key Reef Site from June 25th to June 28th:
Figure 2: pH, Temperature and current data collected from Bird Key Reef
Current Data
Lowell Instruments Tiltmeters are used to collect data on current movement. The below data was collected from a Lowell Instruments tilt meter deployed from June 25th to June 28th:
Figure 3: bla bla bla
Describe current results here
Light Data
EcoPARs are used to collect light intensity data for a period of time at underwater reef sites.
WHAT is the depth?
Figure 4: EcoPar data represented in PAR from the 72 hour deployment at Bird key Reef